Ozioma N

Hi lovelies!

Thanks for joining me on this glorious New Music Friday. Yes, I’m pretending today is Friday. I’ve broken down today’s releases based on if it was a single or part of an album. After that, I broke down my absolute favourites - guaranteed earworms in *Pick Up Your Headphones* and my favourite new videos in *Turn On Your TV*. My ultimate fave was “Jeans” by Jessie Reyez ft. Miguel and you’ll see why below.

I hope this breakdown helps with your listening!

Fifteen minutes to the opener and the Vogue Theatre was alive. Audience members mingled in the foyer and at the bar. Inside, the orchestra was filling up but most of the audience had opted to stand right in front of the stage in anticipation of the show. I hesitated but I eventually opted to sit upstairs to avoid the rush of the crowd. Masego was in our midst for his You Never Visit Me tour with opener, Ogi.

On a warm spring night last April, I sat down with Turunesh in a small jazz café here in Vancouver. I’ve met Turunesh before, in passing, but this was the first time we’d gotten a chance to talk at length. Last year was one of her biggest years yet; her sophomore album Satin Cassette was released to much acclaim. Her saccharine vocals are infused with a sensual edge that, when coupled with her trademark stunning visuals, transports listeners to a heavenly plane.

Born in Kenya and raised in Ta...

You name it, we’ve got it. Many of these creatives have put our small but mighty industry on the map - especially the women. This Women’s History Month, The Ave is proud to highlight four of our favourite female artists (in no particular order) injecting new life into the industry.

Over the last few years, Vancouver has seen a rise in the number of organizations that provide opportunities for Black people to connect with each other and with other people of colour. There’s the Va...

The walls of Fortune Sound Club reflected the moody purple and pink lights as an intimate crowd pulled in for the Durand Bernarr show on February 17th. While the band rehearsed and the merch tables set up, tunes flowed and the crowd mingled.

On Durand’s “Wanderlust” tour for his album of the same name, he had two openers: Raedio’s TeaMarrr and Vancouver artist, NIKKAELA. NIKKAELA took to the stage first but that was definitely not her first time. The singer commanded the modest crowd and invo...

w/ Prado Monroe & Bazenga
On September 9, Turunesh celebrated the first anniversary of her sophomore album Satin Cassette with a packed-out show at the Biltmore Cabaret. This coincidentally fell on her birthday, but it wasn’t that anniversary she was trying to commemorate. She had spent this last year promoting the album through music videos and live performances, but this was her first headline event dedicated to the world of Satin Cassette. This night was a night of firsts and lasts — the e...

Nothing could have prepared me for the shock of coming to the University of British Columbia as an international student all the way from Nigeria; not the brochure they sent along with my acceptance letter, not the website, not even all the independent research I did.

I wasn’t always aware of my Blackness. Nigeria has fewer white people than countries in the Eastern and Southern parts of Africa because the climate and diseases aren’t ideal for colonizers. So, lucky me, I never really had to experience microaggressions and racism as we see them today.
But how did I know I was Black, you ask? It certainly wasn’t just last week when the whole world seemed to have finally opened their eyes to what has been happening, and consciences were activated faster than ...

“During a panic attack, it is no longer fight or flight — the body gives up the fight. The body goes through what Golibe likes to call, ‘flight or die’.”
“Don’t you agree, Golibe?” asked Dr. Fraser. Golibe jolted and fiddled with the grey couch cushion beneath her.
“Sorry, Dr. Fraser. I got a little distracted there. What were you saying?” She usually loved her counselling sessions with Dr. Fraser but she couldn’t concentrate because her mum was coming back from Nigeria that day. She couldn’t...

It was a typical Sunday afternoon in March. Mass had ended and lunch was over. It was time for study hall. Everyone else had to go to their classes and try not to fall asleep as they studied. But not for the seniors of Loyola Jesuit College. They had scheduled a meeting about the Prom coming up in July. There were minor details to go over with the Prom Committee but the main question on their mind was: was there going to be a Prom or not?
They congregated in the Memorial Hall. All ninety of t...

“A profile on two of the most influential Black women activists in Vancouver today, Nova Stevens and Shamika Mitchell. Only this year, their relentless organizing efforts led to the proclamation of August 1st as Emancipation Day in the City of Vancouver. August 1st, 1834, marks the day when slaves were freed in Canada.”
Shamika Mitchell: An actress with a heart for the people
When asked to try her hand at describing herself, Shamika mentioned many things, from her loyal nature to her confiden...

“A profile on two of the most influential Black women activists in Vancouver today, Nova Stevens and Shamika Mitchell. Only this year, their relentless organizing efforts led to the proclamation of August 1st as Emancipation Day in the City of Vancouver. August 1st, 1834, marks the day when slaves were freed in Canada.”

The first thing I noticed about Nova was her smile. I mean, she is a Miss Universe Canada finalist for a reason. Her warm smile hints at her naturally generous spirit. I began...

There was nothing overwhelmingly negative about being the only Black person in my a cappella group. Like most social situations I’d encountered in Vancouver, it was annoyingly polite and devoid of tact from the other party e.g. they sometimes asked us to sing like “an African-American choir” during practice. I am not African-American, but as the only Black person, I was livid. But I thought I could ignore it.
I figured out quite quickly that it was going to be up to me to facilitate all socia...

Hello small business owners starting on TikTok! We know the app can be intimidating, and you’re likely wondering if you’re going to be able to use it to make sales. You’re trying to figure out a very Gen-Z app even though you might be an older generation. No worries, because we’ve got you covered!
TikTok is a social media platform used to share popular music, lip sync, dance, talk and even sing in videos anywhere from 5 to 60 seconds.